Brilliant Orange Sunrise – Long Exposure

Monday morning was clear and cold, a perfect day to capture a long exposure image of the brilliant orange sunrise rising to our east.

The image was captured with a thirty-second exposure (iso 100 @ f/10) using a 10 stop neutral density filter. The long exposure allowed me to capture all of the brilliant orange colors of the pre-dawn sky, a task that would have been near impossible just a few minutes later as the sunlight brightened the sky. In a few months, the normal summer haze so common to our area – and which gives our Great Smoky Mountains their name – will dull the morning sky, so these images are best taken in the winter months.

As always, you can click on the image above to view a large quality image.